Nigeria has been given a hosting right to African cassava conference targeted to reposition the crop for premium economy, just as the issue of trade mark is being promised for global competiveness.
The conference with the theme " stimulating African's industrialization through development of cassava - based products and assuring quality along cassava value chains" is meant to revisit the issue of derivatives standardization and inclusion of 5% cassava four into bread and other bakeries.
The Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ( FMAFS) Sen. Abubakar Kyari ably represented by the director of Federal Department, Engr. Abdullahi Abubakar said the outcome of the conference would bring about increased productivity of the crop to stakeholders.
Sen. Kyari said this during a press briefing on the African Cassava conference slated to be held in Nigeria at the Ministry’s conference room in Abuja yesterday. The event date is between 18 - 20th October in Abuja.
The minister added there is a need for Nigeria to have her own trademark in order to be more competitive globally in market places saying that " Since we are the largest cassava producer in the world, it is obvious that we should have some kind of trademark that will make people identify Nigerian cassava derivatives as we have had terrible experience in the past with Nigerian products being trade marked with Ghanian identify in the United Kingdom"
He stressed that amongst other issues that would be revisit is the 5% inclusion of high quality cassava floor in bread, adding it would be a post conference matter with long years of working in progress.
He however commended the efforts of African Union Commission, other partners and private sector for organizing the Africa Cassava Conference 2023 in Nigeria as this will facilitate how stakeholders can work to develop a robust, commercially driven and economically viable cassava sector that will not only contribute to food and nutrition security but also increasingly contribute to growth of the commodity in Nigeria and Africa as a continent.
Also speaking on the occasion, Ms. Heather-Ronke AKANNI, Project Manager
Africa Cassava Conference said that the declaration of State of emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tunibu has made cassava productivity very relevant to food nutrition and security, stressed that a number of post conference activities and projects are being looked into for national interest across the 10 high cassava producing states in Nigeria .
The states according to Akanni are Akwa- Ibom, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo and Oyo.
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